All those who made faces when newspaper headlines said ex-PM had a pint or two of ‘Morarji Cola’ (his own urine) a day for robust health, here is another thing coming.

All those who made faces when newspaper headlines said ex-PM had a pint or two of ‘Morarji Cola’ (his own urine) a day for robust health, here is another thing coming.

Mind it, the Kerala banana chips you devour, may in their previous form in the value chain (as banana plantations) been given a good dosage of human urine — for their healthy development and nutritional value.

Scientists have long discovered that it is more efficient and cheaper to replace chemical fertilizers by organic fertilizers that urine acts as in a variety of food crops — rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables.

For a farmer, say for banana crop, using urine will lead to a saving of Rs 11,000 per hectare per annum, Dr KJ Jayabaskaran, scientist with National Research Centre for Banana at Tiruchirapalli, told Hindustan Times.

He has been successful in his experiment in collaboration with the Society for Community Organisation and Peoples Education on raising banana plantations using urine as fertilizer. Yield was better and of higher quality and most important, the costs of fertilizers comes down drastically.

His experimental site, Musiri village, some 35 km from Tiruchirapalli town, had curious individual farmers all through the one year he was ‘urinating’ his fields. The urine came from some 350 Ecosan toilets located in the village.

Each unit costs some R12,000 to R14,000. The experiment is complete.

Dr Jayabaskaran has neatly complied findings, the only problem is finding takers.

Now, Urine is being converted into Struvite, a white odourless powder, by adding Manganese. This is easy to transport and easier to use.

“In this disguised form, many more people may accept this,” Subburaman hopes.